Bloody Rose (On Haitus)
by SinfulIndulgence
Summary: Faced with the dishonor of his family, Takumi is tasked with finding Bloody Rose, the most feared female magician in the Empire. To accomplish his mission, he sets out with Misaki, the Yellow Rose, whose looks are beguiling as she is dangerous. But betrayal and lies lurks in every corner. Letting their guard down, especially around each other, can cost them their very lives.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I own nothing of Maid-Sama. Enjoy!

* * *

Since the previous patriarchal world of the centuries past, the Roses have risen to balance out the gender inequalities that subjected those of the female persuasion to the status of mere slaves. No longer were the few female elementalists relegated to mere roles of healers, _if_ they had been lucky enough for their powers to not be repressed.

Now the Roses are revered, respected, valued, _even feared_.

Each color of a Rose symbolizes the strongest specialty the Rose possesses, though all Roses have the ability to manifest far more than their delegated specialty.

And the strongest Rose of them all, most feared for the blood-painted battlefields she leaves in her path...

 _Bloody Rose_.

* * *

"Hanazono Sakura!" The austere but strikingly beautiful woman handed a polished magic staff of white elder to the pink-haired girl, her pigtails swaying in the light breeze. "All hail the White Rose!"

"Kaga Shizuko!" A serene girl in glasses walked out to receive her graduation gift, a sapphire ring imbued with the power to store Shizuko's seemingly endless water magic. "All hail the Blue Rose!"

"Ayuzawa Misaki!" Misaki stepped forward. The rest of her classmates smiled at her, and she grinned back.

They were finally graduating, from their selection to the Rose Academy as Roses-in-Training at the tender age of ten to the completion of their training at twenty one. After years of intense training, they were finally able to make a difference in the world.

They were finally Roses.

Misaki knew what color of Rose she was called out to be. Originally she had expected to be the White Rose or the Crimson Rose, for her aptitude for healing and control over fire were far advanced than most of her peers. But Sakura had edged her out by just one point on their final exam and Nakomoto Teru had just as much control of fire as Misaki did. But unexpectedly to her, no one came close to her ability to grow poisonous plants or detect and resist poisons like she did.

All the Roses had the ability to control over multiple elements, no matter what their specialty was. They were healers but they could be warriors or assassins, performing whatever duty the Empire assigned them. All were impervious to most poisons, having been fed small doses of most of the known poisons in the land until they acquired immunity to those poisons.

With Misaki's turn, the Headmistress handed her a gleaming long dagger in its leather sheath. The hilt was inlaid with gold and amber, matching her amber eyes.

"All hail the Yellow Rose!"

* * *

"Misaki!" Sakura cheerfully called out. "How exciting is this? We've finally graduated!"

"Yes, I wonder what our assignments will be. It's very likely we might not see each other for a long time," Shizuko put in.

"Aw, why did you have to remind us of that, Shizuko? Now, graduation is going to seem so sad," Sakura pouted.

Misaki laughed, ruffling Sakura's hair. "Don't worry, Sakura, we can always meet up. But think of the positive things; we'll explore the lands, help our people and have all sorts of exciting adventures."

"You're right! Thanks, Misaki, you can always make me feel better. Oh, I see Kuuga-kun! I'll see you girls in a bit!" Sakura ran off, with Shizuko shaking her head.

"She really needs to pick better men," Shizuko muttered, following Sakura. But before the pair had even reached talking distance with Kuuga, a crowd of fawning fangirls had gathered around the young royal musician, nearly toppling Shizuko to the ground in their haste to reach Kuuga.

"Misaki."

Misaki turned around to face the soft voice. "Mom," She said warmly. "Are you feeling better? Maybe you should stay inside. It's been quite chilly these days. Should you be walking out like this?" Misaki fussed over her mother's clothing. Though it was spring, the weather was still quite damp. Shizuko had mentioned that she sensed rain coming in.

Ayuzawa Minako smiled back at her eldest daughter, her second daughter Suzuna in tow. The Ayuzawa females were similar in appearance, boasting raven black hair and striking amber eyes set in smooth skin. However, whereas Suzuna and Misaki were the perfect pictures of health, Minako's illness showed through the yellow pallor of her skin.

"Misaki, you're starting to sound like the mother instead. And where does that leave me? Besides, it'll do me good to get fresh air and exercise. Suzuna's medicine has been working splendidly as well. With two daughters as excellent healers, I'm sure my health will be back to normal in no time."

Suzuna showed Misaki two thumbs up. "Congratulations on graduating, Onee-chan. I've brought you some medicine and supplies for the journey up ahead."

"Thanks Suzuna," said Misaki as she took the bag. "Ah, they're giving us our assignments now. I'll be right back!"

Minako sighed as she watched her eldest daughter take off. Magic flowed easily through the blood of the Ayuzawas, passed down through the generations. Minako's own grandmother had been the Scarlet Rose of her generation. However, whereas Misaki's powerful abilities had gotten her selected as a Rose, Suzuna possessed deftness in only healing abilities and opted to attend a medicine academy instead. And Minako herself possessed only minor healing abilities, enough to pull her through the illness that had plagued her body when her daughters were but wee children and to make a living supporting the family.

But Minako knew much from the stories that her grandmother had told her. The life of a Rose may seem exciting, but it is a life also filled with pain, danger, and even death as the Emperor's exclusive female warriors. Parts of the Empire revered the Roses as saviors who had the abilities to help bring lush crops from droughts, to cure whole villages from disease, and to protect the Empire from rival countries.

But to their enemies, Roses were regarded as savages, beautiful but lethal women who could kill with a flick of a hand. Thus, Roses and even Roses-in-Training often had large bounties placed on their heads in hopes that they would be eliminated, even though there were only several Roses each generation. Such few Roses had the large burdensome responsibility of protecting the Empire. And Roses faced many dangers, not just from outside countries but from disputes within the Empire such as the few magicians who resented losing their formerly exclusive status as right hand men to the Emperor. In the end, even Minako's grandmother had perished in a rebellion that rampaged against the Empire and the Roses. Minako had been no older than nine when that had happened.

Minako sighed once more as Suzuna gently placed her hand in her mother's. "She'll be all right, Mom. Onee-chan is the strongest person we know."

Minako didn't reply but squeezed Suzuna's hand for comfort. She looked up, the azure sky looking innocent of knowing what dangers her daughter would have to face.

 _Please, Grandmother. Please protect our dear Misaki._

* * *

 _Four years later_

Takumi found the screams too hard to bear. Without another thought, he disobeyed his family's orders and ran out of the hiding niche he was ordered to stay, immediately coming in contact with a masked person in black as he tumbled out into the hallway.

Takumi and the intruder sized each other up, neither daring to make the first move. The intruder twitched first.

From the corner of his eye, Takumi saw a flash of silver. Without thinking, Takumi sent a second attacker flying through the air with a flick of his wrist as the first attacker charged, bearing a spear. Easily, Takumi crashed the attacker into the hallway, where the attacker crumpled to the floor in a tangle of limp limbs.

Not bothering to see if the attackers were still conscious, Takumi turned on his heels. His feet took him flying, following the twisting passages to where the loudest screams were. Before he knew it, he had ended up in the throne room.

"Give us the jewel!" An attacker was yelling, grunting as he batted away the flames sent his direction. There were at least fifteen attackers surrounding the castle occupants, which included Takumi's grandfather, the Grand Duke of Raven Castle. The bodies of attackers and a few castle staff were scattered around the room.

Gerard, Takumi's half brother, flashed an angry glance to Takumi as he fought off the attackers. The message in his glare towards Takumi was obvious, _get away._ Gerard blasted a weak fire flame at one attacker, his arm supported by his butler Cedric who brandished a sword. Takumi could see they wouldn't hold long. And what was that about the jewel?

With one massive effort, the attackers surged forward. The castle maids screamed. Gerard gave one last sputtering fire ball as he suddenly bent down double, coughing. But before the attackers even reached striking distance of the castle occupants, Takumi had tossed them all to one side of the throne room using his wind powers.

Only one of the attackers seemed to withstand Takumi's powerful wind gust, only staggering a few steps before regaining his or her balance. Unlike the rest of the enemy, this attacker wore a bright silver slash. Takumi judged him or her to be the leader.

The attacker glanced at Gerard, then at Takumi. Pointing a finger at Takumi, the attacker barely got to say "Attack" before Cedric lashed out with his sword. The attacker fell to the ground. A few members of the group of attackers that had collapsed into the wall began to stir and Takumi easily slammed them into the wall again.

Cedric nodded to the castle staff, who immediately began trying to remove the heavy throne in the room.

Gerard, still supported by Cedric, rounded on Takumi. "I told you to stay put!"

"And hide while the rest of the castle is being slaughtered? As if," Takumi spat back.

Gerard shook his head, the locks of black hair waving wildly. While the siblings had a similar face structure and the same emerald eyes inherited from their mother, their hair differed and their powers differed. "You need to get out of here."

"What did they mean when they said they wanted the jewel? How did all these attackers get through the castle defenses? What is going on, damn it! Just tell me!" It was the closest thing that people had see him lose his normal blank expression. For far too long he had been kept in the dark. Literally, as he had always been kept in the darkest sections of the castle or shuffled from relative to relative's home, hidden from the world because he was a bastard.

For the first time, Gerard had something akin to fear in his eyes. "Listen, Takumi, the jewel is what they want. _You have to leave._ If they catch you, we're all doomed. Do you understand? _Leave."_

Takumi saw what the staff had been currently trying to expose under the throne; a hidden passageway that led out of the castle walls. He could hear more frightened screams and the sounds of more attackers approaching. "What about you?"

Gerard shook his head, coughing again. "As much I hate to admit, you're far more important."

"Boy. Leave now." This came from his grandfather. It was the first time his grandfather had addressed him directly.

Takumi cast one last glance at the castle occupants. Gerard's father, Edward and the current Duke, guided him to the passageway and pressed a small traveler's pack in his hand. "Go, and may luck be with you." Surprisingly, Edward was the only member of Takumi's family who had treated Takumi most like an equal despite Takumi being the product of Edward's wife's infidelity. There were misty tears in Edward's eyes.

Gerard's shadow fell over the open door of the passageway. "Takumi, you have to find Bloody Rose. It's the only way we can survive. _Find Bloody Rose."_

The door fell shut and he was cocooned in darkness. Takumi heard the throne scrape against the door as the staff began hiding the entrance.

With nothing else he could do to help, Takumi summoned a small flame no bigger than that of candlelight. Just enough to see, but not enough to steal the limited oxygen that was left in the stale air of the passageway.

Upon inspection, the passageway was narrow but the walls were at least well built and not rotting. Takumi followed the curve of walls, going further and further from the battle shouts of the throne room, regretting that he couldn't help fight. Though he and his family didn't get along, he didn't want them to be left behind. He tried to convince himself that they would be okay. Before long, the only sounds were the crunch of his shoes.

As he walked, Takumi began thinking. In particular, he thought about the jewel that was embedded in his body.

Originally, the jewel was meant for his legitimate brother. The jewel was actually a shard of a powerful jewel that came from the Emperor's crown, a gift from the most powerful magician in history. The power from the jewel would have invigorated his brother's weak body and given him as much of a normal life as he could have. But Gerard's body rejected the jewel. The next thing anyone knew was that the shard had somehow embedded into Takumi's body, not even leaving a scar in its entrance.

Now there was more cause for resentment for Takumi. Not only was he the disgrace of the Duchess, he had now stolen the heir's only chance of a healthy life. Although it wasn't Takumi's fault by any means, he was being blamed for it regardless.

From their mother's side, both Gerard and Takumi had inherited the ability to wield flame. But Takumi was also born with the powers to manipulate wind, a genetic gift he assumed to be from his birth father's side. With his abnormal powers and the jewel embedded in him since he was ten, Takumi was long considered abhorrent by the castle occupants.

But it didn't matter.

Takumi had long regarded life to be unfair to him.

* * *

A/N: Hello, hello my lovelies! This is my second Maid-Sama story after To Find the Perfect Fit (M-rated), and I hope I'm doing well so far. I thought I would post this after I finished To Find the Perfect Fit, so I believe I will post all later chapters for this story after I wrap up my first story. Fear not, I will continue this (I already wrote like the next couple chapters), so please bear with me!

I really love reading reviews as I find them a good source of motivation so leave a review if you'd like! I might change this story from T to M rating, depending on if people think this story is too mature in later chapters. Hope to see you all in my next chapters c:


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I own nothing of the Maid-Sama series. Enjoy!

* * *

Misaki walked along a dirt road, her pack slung over her shoulders. Like most Roses, she wore clothes fashioned from dark green or brown leather and cloth, nothing particularly fancy but practical for work purposes. Today, she chose a dark forest green robe, the color matching the leaves of the forest she was passing through. From a person's point of view, her clothes could easily pass as that of a traveler's. However, the clothing had been magicked to be sword and arrow repellent as well as fireproofed. Perhaps that was why she was quite unconcerned when she sensed that she was being followed.

She had felt eyes on her for quite some time now. The forest that she was walking in was called Thieves' Woods and with good reason. Unfortunately, it was the fastest route to her destination. If her assignment hadn't been so drastically urgent, she would have much rather taken the safer but longer route by the river that wrapped around the forest.

To be honest, Misaki thought she would have been attacked much sooner by now. But she suspected that because she was a lone traveler, the thieves were much more wary. After all, who in the right mind would choose to walk alone in the woods so aptly named Thieves' Woods? One would think with such a name no traveler would ever dare tread into the woods, and the thieves would eventually give up and move to another place to harass the unfortunate. Only the desperate, the crazy, and the dangerous would travel alone. Which Misaki supposed she qualified into at least one of those categories.

Misaki sighed, suddenly pausing in her tracks. A whiz of sound came from a tall tree nearby, the noise barely perceptible. Misaki flung her hand out, easily catching the arrow by the wood stalk before the arrow embedded itself into her shoulder.

Not even bothering to peer into the tree to see who had shot her, Misaki snapped the arrow into two and walked on as though nothing had happened. She had been travelling for two days now and was really far too tired and grumpy to deal with a pack of thieves. Taking a walk through a forest sounded fun at first, but not when one was being followed for the majority of the walk.

Though Roses were expected to keep the order of the Empire, Misaki reasoned that she didn't have to deal with the thieves since she wasn't specifically asked to do so. Besides, few travelers came this way, and the Empire would eventually send soldiers in to clear out the thieves.

But her inner morals still nagged at her. What if someone did have to go through the woods? What if they had a desperate reason like she did? And what if they got hurt all because she didn't deal with a simple gang of thieves?

"Oh screw this," Misaki said out loud to no one in particular.

The thieves must have thought she was talking about them and before she knew it, a whole volley of arrows came speedily flying out of the trees. Misaki sent a casual gust of wind around her, making a protective wind barrier. But before the arrows had even reached her, the arrows turned ninety degrees to the right as though someone easily batted them out of the sky.

Misaki frowned, but she had more harrowing worries on her plate. Concentrating, her conscious sought out the spirit of the trees around her.

This was the special power of the Roses. People had always believed that fire magic was the most powerful, when in fact it was the earth. True, you could try burning an entire kingdom down. But with the power of the earth and plants, one could completely destroy the kingdom. Examples would be preventing any food crops from growing or poisoning the whole water supply by growing a few poisonous plants by the water source. One could even cause plants to emit less oxygen and slowly deprive someone of much needed oxygen or spread poisonous pollen through the air. It was no wonder that Roses were so feared.

Within a mere five seconds, she was able to locate where each and every thief was hiding on a tree. She took a pinch of seeds from a pocket inside her robe, summoned a strong gust of wind and scattered the seeds. Shouts erupted around her as vines suddenly sprouted from the ground of each tree that a thief was in. Another ten seconds and the trees nearby Misaki each dangled a thief hanging upside down and bound up in vines. Golden yellow flowers erupted around the vines. As soon as each thief got a whiff of the flowers' smell, the thieves fell asleep from the main symptom of the flowers' poison.

Misaki was satisfied. Not being sadistic, she preferred subduing her enemies with temporary paralyzing or sleeping poisons as opposed to shedding blood.

"Well, that's some impressive power."

Misaki whirled and lunged at the newcomer's shoulder with her dagger. She had meant to just nick the thief's shoulder as her graduation gift was a dagger drenched in paralyzing potion. Even the tiniest cut no deeper than a paper cut could temporarily paralyze a man for five minutes. However, the blonde thief was not paralyzed at all. In fact, he slowly stepped back and raised his arms to show that he was not armed.

Misaki narrowed her eyes at the thief. To be honest, she was quite irked that he had somehow gotten so close to her without her knowing it. She now realized he must have had some wind powers to lightly deflect her dagger attack just like her ability to make a wind shield around her.

"You're the one who knocked aside the arrows."

She took the time to inspect him carefully now. He was wearing the garb of a traveler much like she was, the brown with green trimming able to provide camouflage among the trees. Though his face held a blank expression, his green eyes stared back at her warily. And although the path was quite muddy, no footsteps appeared behind him. In fact, he appeared to be floating just a centimeter above the ground. His clean boots in contrast to her muddy ones were proof. She herself hadn't used her wind powers to float above the mud because it would have been a waste of her powers. Although if he had been floating above the ground, it made sense why she didn't sense him using her earth power.

But Misaki still didn't lower her guard down. The thieves dangling from the trees smelled like heap of rubbish. Her nose had long detected them even before they had attacked her. But the man in front of her? He smelled clean. No cologne or flowery perfume like some of the nobles wore, but there wasn't a hint of aromas that gave away this man's identity. If he had been a baker, he would smell of fresh bread or pastry smells. If he was a farmer, he would smell of the earth or the animals he worked with.

No, this man smelled of clean soap and that was it. His aristocratic features were out of place in the forest, and his clothing was too clean to be that of a traveler's. Perhaps the clothing was magicked like hers? Whoever this man was, and he could still be a thief for all she knew, this man wasn't ordinary.

He was powerful and dangerous.

Misaki lowered her dagger slowly. With a sigh of relief, the mysterious stranger started lowering his arms. Quick as a flash and aided by her own wind powers, Misaki darted forward, broke through his wind barrier, and nicked a small cut on the man's arm.

"Ow! What-" The man promptly fell on his back, paralyzed from the dagger's poison.

* * *

Takumi groaned. Laying flat on his back on a dirt path littered with leaves and twigs wasn't comfortable in the first place. It was made more uncomfortable as underneath his back was his traveler's pack, digging harshly into his shoulder blades.

At least the view from the ground was oddly pleasant enough. The woman who had stabbed him stood over his prone form, obviously analyzing who he could be. She seemed to be around his age, her smooth and lightly tanned skin free from any wrinkles. Although, Takumi decided, if the scowl on her face was permanent, she might easily create wrinkles in a year or two. Still she was rather pretty, with raven black hair tied up in a ponytail and her bright amber orbs matching the jewels inlaid on her very sharp dagger. Unfortunately, she still hadn't put away her dagger with that paralyzing powder or potion on it. He really shouldn't have lowered his guard then.

"This is a new way of saying thank you for knocking away the arrows," Takumi said dryly.

The woman's eyes flashed in annoyance. "My apologies, but I simply don't trust anyone in Thieves' Woods. Thanks for moving the arrows, but I could have handled it."

"I can certainly see that." He remembered how the vines had suddenly come up from the ground and wrapped themselves around the thieves. "So, um, is this paralysis thing permanent? Because I really do need to get moving." Takumi tried to move a toe or a finger. He was slowly recovering, thankful that as least the paralysis was just temporary.

"The same with me. Goodbye." The woman turned around and walked off in the direction Takumi had been running off.

"Wait!" Takumi said, alarmed. The group of men that had been chasing him were precisely in the direction the woman had chosen. "The people chasing after me are that way."

"Aha! So you are some kind of trouble!" The woman's eyes glinted fiercely.

"No, I'm _in_ trouble, not trouble! And those people are not the type of people you'd want to meet. Hide or go the opposite direction or something. They weren't that far behind me."

The woman snorted. "As if. My job at the Raven Castle is in that direction."

Upon hearing this, Takumi's eyes darkened. Who was this woman anyways? What was her business at the castle? "Unfortunately, the occupants of Raven Castle are indisposed."

The woman cocked her head as she seemed to take a deeper look at him. The flash of silver gleaned once more in the afternoon sun, and Takumi found the dagger pointed at him once again. "I'd received word that Raven Castle had cut off all communication with the Imperial Government. Tell me everything you know about Raven Castle being 'indisposed' as you call it."

More feeling was coming back into his body, but he had to pretend that he was still paralyzed. The dangerous dagger was still pointing at him after all. Should he tell the truth? She did say the Imperial Government after all, and she didn't appear to be lying. He took a deep breath and made his choice. "I lived at the castle. We were attacked by a large group of intruders in the middle of the night a week ago. Somehow they got through all the castle's magical and physical defenses. I managed to escape, but I don't know if anyone else has. The intruders have been chasing me ever since. I haven't asked anyone for help because they're not afraid to slaughter the innocent. So please, just leave as fast as you can."

"Huh." The woman scanned his face for signs of lying with the eyes of a woman was skilled in the judgement of character. "You're actually telling the truth."

Takumi closed his eyes as the memories of the bodies of the castle staff littered on the castle floor flooded through his mind. It had been what, eight days? Eight days of running and not daring to sleep much in case the murderers caught up to him. The first night he had fled far away to reach a kind farmer who offered him shelter and food. That night the murderers swamped the small farmhouse and set it and the fields ablaze. Takumi just managed to save the farmer and his family's lives out of the burning house and gave whatever gold coins he had to the farmer to help cover the immense losses. He never sought help again after that.

"Hurry. Hide or run or whatever. They'll be coming soon." A look of indignation crossed the woman's face. Before she could argue back, Takumi cut in. "It's not that I think you're not strong enough, but you shouldn't have to be involved in this. This is my problem. I don't want you to be hurt." He could just see in his imagination the woman lying in the forest, her eyes empty of life after fighting with the murders. No more, he thought. No more deaths on my account. Please.

"Perhaps you should have thought of that before you involved yourself in the fight between the thieves and me." She retorted.

"My apologies, but I didn't know there were thieves hiding in the trees. I was just hiding in the forest, and suddenly a volley of arrows comes crashing down upon another traveler. What am I to do, leave you to become traveler shish kebab?" Takumi's sarcasm was barely kept on lid. The woman was extremely stubborn. He was trying to save her, damn it!

To her credit, the scowl on her face melted into a look of shame with a red blush blooming on her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I've been on edge all day. This _is_ called Thieves' Woods for a reason, and anyone in their right mind would be cautious of any stranger in the woods." The mysterious woman suddenly straightened her back as if she sensed something. "Tell you what. I am going to involve myself in this." She ignored his protests and continued on. "To repay your kindness, I'll help you out with the people chasing you. My assignment also involves going to the castle, and I'll need someone like you who has information I need."

For the first time, the woman smiled. Takumi blinked. Despite the worries running through his head, somewhere in the back of his mind, pretty turned into beautiful.

She held her free hand out to him. "I'm Ayuzawa Misaki. Now get up. I know the paralysis wore off and you're just pretending to still be paralyzed. The people after you are here."

* * *

A/N: Whew! What did ya'll think about that? As promised, I'll be updating Bloody Rose now that To Find the Perfect Fit is complete. Hope to see ya'll soon!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I own nothing of the Maid-Sama series. Enjoy!

* * *

Takumi looked at the outstretched hand offered. He took it, feeling at how small the hand was in his much larger hand. Yet the petite hand betrayed the strength he detected in Misaki. He had the feeling that she easily could crush the bones in his hand or flip him crashing into a tree thirty feet away should he give her any indication that he was untrustworthy. Suddenly he felt very glad that he was not going to be on the receiving end of Misaki's power.

"I'm Usui Takumi. Thanks for helping me."

"You're welcome. Oh, hold on." With that she closed her eyes and seemed to concentrate, her eyebrows furrowing. "That's quite a large group after you."

"I'd say about twenty to twenty five. But who's got time to count when they're blasting arrows and fire at you?"

Misaki's eyes widened. "You have that many people against you? Just who are you and how did you manage to survive this far?"

"Twenty percent skills and eighty percent good luck? I think-"

The slight twang of an arrow being released was visible. But before the arrow met its mark on the two occupants of the dirt road, a wind barrier combined with the strengths of the two stopped the arrow with so much force that the arrow snapped into broken splinters.

A shrill sounded from somewhere in the forest. From the trees, a large group of black clad people leaped into view. Some carried chains, swords, clubs, or spears. Misaki casually flicked away a flame ball hurtled by one attacker.

"Huh, so they know magic." Misaki commented.

"Unfortunately." Fire-users and wind-users were the most common hired type of mercenaries. But it would make sense that magic-users would be able to penetrate through a castle's defenses. Still a castle's defenses shouldn't be easily broken through.

Footsteps crunched on the ground behind them. Takumi turned his head around to see that more attackers had come up behind them.

"You take the front and I'll take the back?" Misaki said.

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

Misaki didn't bother turning around, though she did keep a part of her senses alert on Usui's side. The attackers launched simultaneous fire balls that merged into a giant fire wall. Misaki slashed her hand, quickly forming her own fire wall that blocked the attackers' assault. From her pocket, she withdrew a large handful of withered brown leaves and threw them at the fire before it could disappear, causing dense gray and poisonous smoke to appear. Misaki quickly summoned a large gust of wind that blew the smoke to the attackers. Before long, the attackers collapsed to the ground, coughing at the paralyzing smoke that filled their lungs.

Satisfied with her work, Misaki turned around to help Takumi. To her chagrin, she found Takumi's hands bound up in chains.

No, Misaki narrowed her eyes. She took a quick and deeper look at what was going on. In each of his hand, Takumi was actually holding the end of a chain. The other ends of the chains belonged to two attackers who were struggling to either get their respective chain back or trying to pull Takumi off balance. Takumi calmly held his ground, then a flash of silver seemed to originate from him and go through the metal chains. Misaki winced as lightning was conducted through the metal and electrocuted the two men. The men fell to the ground, groaning as sparks of electricity jolted occasionally from their bodies.

Littered all around Takumi were the prone bodies of the rest of the attackers. A brief look revealed that they were all still alive, just unconscious. Misaki had to nod approval to his powers. Unconscious attackers were a bother, but dead men couldn't tell them who ordered the attack. It also meant Takumi was reluctant to kill, a sign of a good person.

Takumi took a deep breath, brushing the sweat off his forehead. As he did so, he brushed his golden hair back from his forehead. Misaki frowned. Somewhere in the back of her mind she had thought she had seen Takumi's face before. Now she realized that while she had never met Takumi, she had seen a similar face before.

The Emperor had thrown a ball two years ago where all the Roses and many members of the nobility had attended. All the important and influential people were there, including the Grand Duke, the Emperor's younger brother. The Grand Duke's heir, the Duke, and the Duke's son, Gerard Walker had also been in attendance.

Misaki could almost slap herself for not recognizing Takumi's features earlier. Though she had only met Marquis Gerard briefly, if Takumi replaced his wild blond hair with neatly combed black hair, he would be a dead ringer for Gerard.

"I think...we need to talk a little more about your exact position in the Raven Castle."

* * *

Far away, the man watched the scene as the raven haired woman tied the men up efficiently with chains. She spoke to the blond man for a brief moment, before the blond waved his hand and the chains wrapped themselves around a tree, tying the men to it.

The man dipped his hand in the crystal bowl of water, breaking the bonds of water magic from the powers of the crystal bowl. Beside him, his manservant glanced up at his master nervously to check for the signs of anger that the hired men had failed to retrieve the jewel. Usually those signs of anger meant his master would last out angrily at his servants, often with physical consequences. But unexpectedly, his master had a smile on his face, cruel that it was, distorting his handsome features into a sneer.

"The Yellow Rose, hmm? She's perfect." He had been looking for the perfect vessel. One who could pass on his traits of power to the next generation when the Empire was his and his alone. He would start with the jewel, then he would go forth with the female."The perfect Empress."

* * *

Talking to the intruders for information was a dead end since all the intruders had their tongues cut out. Takumi had mentioned only one attacker at the castle seemed to speak, but that attacker wasn't part of this group. If they were part of a mercenary organization that cut their own tongues out or whether their master performed the deed, Misaki couldn't tell. Her years of training had taught her not to be sorry for her enemies, lest they stab her in the back the moment she turned around. Still, she thought the attackers looked very pitiful as they stared at her reproachfully with their paralyzed forms.

In the end they decided on tying the attackers to the trees and then sending the nearest town's constable for them. Even with their powers, it took a while to bind the attackers to the trees and then give each attacker a drink of water. Misaki was fine after her exertion but she could tell Takumi was already exhausted from being hunt down by the attackers. The few lost days of sleep were taking its toll on him.

As they walked the remaining distance left of Thieves' Woods, Misaki listened to Takumi's story, searching for any signs of lying or holes in his story. She learned that he was the illegitimate child of the Walkers and of how the castle had been attacked. She was rather grim when she had to agree with him that there was little possibility that anyone else had escaped the castle. She would not be looking forward to when they arrived to inspect the castle. So far though, his story had passed the test, though she decided that she would slip him a truth potion at dinner just to make sure.

"Hold on, you have the Emperor's jewel embedded in you? Everyone knows a jewel gifted from the Emperor is extremely powerful!" It was a rumor usually passed among regular townspeople that how the Emperor and his lineage controlled and protected the Empire was through the family's heritage of dangerous and powerful precious stones that somehow had been imbued with immense magical powers. A few had joked that whoever controlled the jewels, controlled the Empire. Only those privy to the Emperor knew that those rumors were indeed dangerously true. But the royal family kept the jewels' existence heavily guarded from the world. For the Walker family to receive such a jewel meant that the Emperor placed strong faith onto the family. But she supposed such faith would be because the Grand Duke was the Emperor's brother.

Misaki stopped in her tracks and then stared very hard at his chest. Takumi looked at her weirdly, but she concentrated her focus and sought out for anything that emitted power. There, just inside the very core of him, she found something like a small orb that pulled her in, wanting her to surrender...

"Ow!"

Takumi darted forward, catching her just before she fell. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Misaki groaned. Her forehead was pounding heavily, a result of the magical block that she had to put up in her mind before whatever power in Takumi sucked her very own magic out.

Takumi pressed a bottle of water to her lips and she drank thankfully. The coolness of the water helped to cut through the fogginess of her mind.

"What kind of power was that?" She demanded.

Takumi looked genuinely confused. "What power? I didn't use any power of mine."

"How do you not notice anything when a freaking Emperor's jewel is inside of you?"

"After the jewel was embedded in me, I didn't notice anything different about me. All the magical tutors and magicians we hired couldn't detect or extract the jewel out of me."

Misaki's brow furrowed. None of the magicians could detect the jewel? Then what was the immense force she had just felt inside Takumi. An Emperor's jewel could be the reason why Raven Castle and Takumi had been targeted. "Did anyone else know about the jewel outside the castle?"

"Only those privy to its secrets. All the magicians were paid handsomely to stop them from leaking out any info. And they were magicians sent by the Emperor himself."

Amber and emerald eyes met. "You suspect someone played traitor?"

Takumi nodded. "Someone able to get through the castle defenses, or at least know the layout of the castle."

"I see. Um, you can let go of me now."

"Ah, sorry."

Takumi dropped his hands, and Misaki hastily stepped out of his embrace. Having never liked men since her father left her family during their time of need, she couldn't say she was entirely happy about having a male accompany her. Usually Roses worked alone for ease and speed. Still, Takumi hadn't given her a reason to distrust him, and she did need him for information.

"Come on, let's go. I want to get out of the woods before dark."

* * *

Misaki and he finally made their way out of the woods when the night's darkness and chilly air descended. The castle and town still required a day's journey and so would have to be reached tomorrow.

Takumi sat underneath a large oak tree, peering up at the stars. No matter what happened at the Empire, whether it be the destruction of a country or the celebration of a glorious day, the stars would still look as cold and beautiful as they did on a clear night as this. The same stars would probably be twinkling beautifully over the castle right now.

Currently, Misaki was engaged in growing some root vegetables to be cooked with the small fire they had set up. It was a handy trick to grow whatever fresh vegetables you wanted on the go, as long as you had the seeds for it.

"You're a Rose, aren't you?" Takumi asked after a while. It made sense that she was. Most of the female magicians in the Empire had only healing powers. The rest were often employed as soldiers or magic teachers. Even then most magicians, female or male, could only control one element, and Misaki appeared to control at least three elements: fire, earth, and wind. Only the nobility could control more than one element.

The other except being a Rose.

Misaki studied him carefully. Being so near to the camp fire gave her eyes a warm glow, though those eyes were now carefully guarded. "Why do you ask?"

"When I was escaping the castle, the Duke told me to find Bloody Rose. I'm not sure why though. Perhaps she has information or will be able to help us in some way. If you are a Rose, I was hoping you could tell me where she is." Even if she claimed she wasn't a Rose, Takumi was at least grateful that someone was with him and could help him with the situation he had found himself in.

Misaki stared at him some more before she returned to digging a potato out of the ground with a sharpened stick. "There is no Bloody Rose. We've only heard of such a person through stories, but there's no one like that among the Roses. At least I didn't hear of a Bloody Rose during graduation."

"But you are a Rose?"

Misaki made a face at him.

Takumi thought of the paralyzing smoke she had used on the attackers. "The Yellow Rose, to be exact."

"Think what you like," she grumbled.

Misaki seemed to be telling the truth when she said she didn't know who Bloody Rose was. But her pause belied the fact that she knew more than what she was saying. He didn't prod into the matter any more. Instead he watched her season the vegetables and winced inwardly as she practically dumped the entire bag of salt on top. "I don't think salted potatoes are a thing...You should probably also peel the potatoes first if you're going to salt it now before cooking. And you should probably also wash your hands after you touched the dirt from digging the potatoes...Huh, the pot doesn't look like it's been washed for a while too..."

Annoyed, Misaki stood up, flinging the potatoes to the ground, her face bright red. "Okay, okay jeez! I'm not good at cooking, so what? Yeesh, you nobility are so fussy and snobby."

Takumi laughed despite her sending a glare at him. He found her embarrassed face was actually kind of cute. Looks like even the fearsome Yellow Rose could have a weakness. "Well this snob of a nobility as you call me will make the food. Is it okay if you can grow some carrots and peas? Vegetable soup seems good for an autumn night."

* * *

Misaki would have preferred that she cooked so she could slip Takumi the truth potion. She was 99% sure that he was telling the truth, but she had been betrayed and lied to too many times for her not to count on that 1% being false.

Takumi seemed almost professional in his cooking skills, chopping the vegetables easily into equal-sized pieces. He could almost be a chef, like a son of the castle cook. But his fighting and magical skills practically screamed of royal training. And the salted meat from his traveler's pack he had thrown into the soup had that high quality she expected from a noble's kitchen. In the end, she gave up on the truth potion.

After dinner, Takumi had curled up against the oak tree and fallen right asleep. If it had been her, Misaki felt sure that she could never have fallen asleep first with a stranger next to her. He seemed to trust in her at least.

Quietly, she banked the fire with wood so it could last the night. As she did her task, she inspected Takumi more carefully. During sleep, his face, almost angelic, seemed to let go of all of the stress he had been holding. Once again, the thought that he looked a lot like his half-brother came to her.

Eventually, her own eyelids grew heavy. She had honed her skills in sensing when people or something moved close to her when she was sleeping, so she didn't bother with staying up all night to keep watch. She wrapped herself warmly with her cloak and leaned against the oak tree as well. Within moments, she was off to dreamland.

Then the dreams started. The same dream she had been dreaming for a while now. She had thought the dreams had finally stopped when it hadn't appeared in her sleep for three weeks. But now that Takumi had mentioned Bloody Rose, she must have had it in the back of her mind for the dream to happen again.

The dream started like usual. She was standing in a grass field, covered with the yellow roses she like to grow. Blood-red roses sprouted from the ground and shouts of pain and fear were all around her. The green and yellow field was beginning to look like a field of red with the multitude of roses covering the ground. Suddenly, bodies were falling all around her, one nearly falling on top of her. But every time she tried to get a glimpse of who the people were, the faces were blank or fuzzy.

Misaki turned around, expecting to see the woman appear. Right on time, she did, her body hazy and nondescript in her dream. The only lucid about her form was the single blood red rose she carried, not caring if the thorns scratched her hand. Where she walked, more blood red roses sprouted. The tendrils began crawling across the grass field, smothering the yellow roses until all of the roses were the same rich blood-red color.

"I'll always be here, Misaki. All you have to do is call for me," the woman said.

Then the dream did something it had never done before. The woman vanished and was replaced with the image of Takumi, head bowed to the ground. He was trapped in the rose plants, the thorns scratching through his clothing. He lifted his head, his green eyes blank and unfeeling. Misaki tried to do something, tried to make the rose plants go away. But her power failed her and her arms suddenly seemed like they were filled with lead, like she wasn't in control of her body. The rose tendrils were coming for her now, and they were crawling up around her, tightening her in their grasp until...

Misaki's eyes flew wide open, her heart beating furiously in her chest. It was morning, and a curious bird was scratching at the ground near them. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. Never had the dream done something like that. It made her body feel dark and heavy, and she could barely move her shoulder. Was this what it was like to be paralyzed? This must be what her victims felt like when she used her paralyzing poisons on them.

Then she realized why she couldn't move her right shoulder. It had fallen asleep due to a great weight on it.

"Takumi, why are you sleeping on me?"

* * *

A/N: Hello, hello, my lovelies! Thanks for all your support in the reviews. They were a blast to read c: Hope to see you all in my later chapters!


	4. Chapter 4

_Smack!_

For the second time in two days, Takumi found himself flat on his back as a scowling Misaki stood over him. This time, he had been harshly woken up from the best sleep he had gotten in the past week or so, clutching his red cheeks where someone had slapped him.

"Ow! What was that for?"

Misaki glared at him, a glare he was slowly beginning to get used to. "What the hell were you thinking, sleeping on my shoulder, you idiotic pervert?"

Takumi blinked innocently. "Oh, was your shoulder the rock pillow I was dreaming I was sleeping on?"

"Ugh, you infuriating-!"

He rubbed the remnants of drowsiness from his eyes and gave a wide yawn. "I apologize. I was probably so tired and cold that I didn't know what I was doing."

Misaki groaned, muttering something about perverted men under her breath. "Whatever, hurry up and get ready. I want to get to the castle before noon. Who knows if those attackers might have escaped already. They might be coming for us soon."

Within minutes, the pair had eaten the leftover soup, broken camp, and were on their way. The countryside was idyllic here, with rich fields of grain covering large expanses of ground. Vegetable fields and fruit orchards were dispersed here and there, the colorful foliage like flowers in a bed of grain. Harvest time hadn't come to these farmers yet, but the chill in the morning air would remedy that soon.

"The farmers under your family's land seem prosperous." Misaki commented.

Takumi looked at the farms. It was rare that he was outside without some disguise in place since his blond hair and green eyes were much too similar to those of his mother, who was quite beloved by the tenants and townspeople. So most of the time, he was hidden inside. "They were good managers of the land and the people, even if they weren't always the most caring family."

Misaki's expression softened a bit, hearing his words, but didn't ask or prod.

Before long, the town came into view. Takumi flung the hood of his shirt up, covering his blond hair as best as he could. The townspeople were already up and bustling. Hawkers sold their wares on the cobblestone streets. The bakery emitted aromas of freshly baked bread and pastries. People talked and laughed loudly as they went about their daily tasks. All in all, it was a normal day.

Takumi frowned. It was all _too_ normal. Raven Castle stood on a hill at some distance. From the castle's high vantage point, it was possible to see signs of invaders from far away. Its black marble walls stood imposingly over the town, the seemingly impenetrable walls signs of reassurance and protection for the townspeople. Except the castle hadn't been impenetrable. Yet, it seemed like none of the townspeople were aware of what had occurred at Raven Castle.

"Master Usui!"

Takumi turned to see a large man with broad shoulders come hurrying up to him. The blacksmith, like many of the villagers, believed he was a magic apprentice working at the castle. "Ah, Riso-san! How have you been?"

The blacksmith grinned, clapping Takumi's back with an affectionate smack. "Not bad, not bad! The missus is with baby five months now! Say, why are you still here? I heard word that the Walkers were taking a vacation. Is it true they're visiting the Imperial Palace? That's my bet since the Crown Prince visited three weeks ago. So nice of nobility to invite each other. But, shouldn't you castle staff be with them?"

Takumi and Misaki exchanged a look. If the townspeople thought that the castle occupants were merely travelling, it would make sense why the people didn't show signs of concern at all. He was relieved that besides the hapless farmer who had helped him the first night, the attackers hadn't touched the rest of the townspeople. Luckily he was also saved from answering the talkative blacksmith's last question.

"Say, who's this lovely young lady you're travelling with? Now, now, you're going to break every girl's heart in the village. My younger sister's got eyes on you for the last year or so."

"Oh, no, we're not-"

"Anyways, Master Usui, the Marquis has left something for you."

"Gerard left something for me?" Takumi said, his eyes wide. "When, and what is it?"

Riso clicked his tongue, half in disapproval and half in amusement. "Now, now, Master Usui, you must be close with the Marquis to call him by his first name! Well, he dropped it about a week ago, when the castle went on their travels. I have the package right in my shop."

"Riso-san, would you happen to know where they went?" Misaki asked.

The blacksmith shrugged. "Didn't ask. Who are you again, if not this rascal's girlfriend? Oh, the missus is calling me. Drop by my shop in an hour or so and pick up your package." With another wave, the blacksmith wandered away to his wife, her belly clearly swollen with child.

"So they're still alive." Takumi said, letting out a sigh of relief.

"That's good, they're probably in hiding. Any idea what this package is?" Misaki asked.

"Not at all. Maybe some clue to Bloody Rose? Are you sure you don't have any clue to who she is?"

"None whatsoever. All of us Roses just thought she was a legend though some rumors say she's a Rose from the previous generation who helps out. The last time she supposedly showed up was about one hundred years ago though. It's strange that your family knows about her. I mean I didn't even know outsiders knew about her. And she only ever appears in major wartime like revolutions or invasions."

"Huh. So what other Roses are out there?"

Misaki brushed a few strands of hair from her face. "The number and types of Roses vary within each generation. There's our leader, the Purple Rose. The Azure Rose, the White Rose, the Crimson Rose, and the Silver Rose. Then there's me. That's about it for this generation. Supposedly the number of Roses corresponds to how much danger there'll be for the Empire. There's not that many of us this generation as compared to before so I guess the Empire will be relatively safe for a while. So yeah, no Bloody Rose. I'm also not sure what kind of magic she would specialize in anyways."

The pair wandered around the town to refresh supplies after alerting the constables about the attackers in Thieves' Woods.

Misaki once tossed him a warm cloak made out of cashmere at the clothing shop and told him to buy it so he wouldn't snuggle up to innocent bystanders again. He joked that she wasn't a bystander; she was a bysleeper since she was _sleeping by_ the tree near him in the first place. His pun earned him a scathing look.

"Don't worry. I promise not to do that again. Unless you want me too," he joked. He had never seen someone's face glow so red like a tomato like hers had the instant the words left his mouth. It was well worth the hard punch he received on his arm immediately after. Nonetheless, the light joking helped lift his mood and optimism about his current situation.

Misaki gazed around the town. It was quite prosperous and bustling, unlike some of the towns located in the provinces of other lords she had visited. The people seemed to respect and trust their landlords as well, which she had to give respect to the Walker family for. While they may not have been the best family at times, they were at least genuinely fair and kind to their tenants.

A few people gazed at them curiously. A few young men winked at her, but she quickly turned her head away. Takumi seemed to be much more popular, with a crowd of young girls and women turning their heads to look at him. A few called out to him by name, and he merely nodded to them, his polite expression returning to a look of thought after he nodded. Whether he genuinely did not notice their flirty glances or was purposely ignoring them, she didn't know. But she approved that at least he wasn't a playboy unlike some nobles. A memory of Igarashi Tora's lecherous smile came into mind.

"Hey, Misaki." Takumi's voice broke Misaki's train of thoughts. "You work for the Emperor. Do you have to report to him about what's been happening at Raven Castle?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

Takumi pursed his lips. "If you alert the Imperial Palace about what's going on, it's true they'll do everything in their power to try to capture the attackers. But that'll also alert whoever is behind all this. Since it's most likely a magician that the Emperor sent..."

Misaki frowned. "It'll be treason and rebellion. That means war. I do have to make a report eventually but I've already decided to ask them to keep it quiet as possible. They'll be able to investigate quietly from their side so the citizens don't get into a furor. Most likely your family's already heading to the Imperial Palace."

"No, that's not it. When the jewel entered me instead of Gerard, the Emperor was furious. He thought it was incompetence on our part and sent magicians to extract the jewel to give back to him, not to get out the jewel and give it to Gerard again. That's why the Crown Prince visited us. To make a personal visit and inform us that the Walkers were being dishonored and would be losing some of the privileges the nobility had."

"Your family...they didn't blame you for all this trouble, did they?" Takumi gave her a small sad smile that answered her question. "My duty is still to the Empire. I'll have to make a report, but I guess...I'll try to delay it for awhile. Just until we get to the root of what's going on," she warned.

"Thank you," he said. The smile of relief and gratitude he gave her was so sincere, that Misaki had to look away, her cheeks flushing.

"Um, y-you're welcome."

After an hour, they arrived at the blacksmith's. Riso-san handed them a long and flat rectangular box wrapped hastily in brown paper. He left them in the back of his shop for some privacy as he went to deal with some customers.

Takumi tore off the paper and removed the box lid. Lying in the box was a sword with a hilt of black diamond and gold. Misaki searched but there was nothing else in the box.

"A weapon? Maybe your family sent this to help you fight?" Misaki concentrated on the sword but it appeared to just be a regular ornamental sword with no magical powers at all. She had thought perhaps one of the jewels could be like Takumi's, but the black diamonds just felt like cold lumps of rock. "It doesn't contain magic though."

Takumi shook his head. "I've seen this sword in Gerard's study. Perhaps he wants us to search there. I hope the attackers haven't ransacked everything."

Misaki furrowed her brow. "A few of them might still be there to see if anyone comes back. We'll have to prepare for a fight. Unfortunately, they'll probably see us the moment we start walking up the hill."

"No worries, there's an underground tunnel into the castle. There's actually quite a few of them, but nonetheless we'll get into the castle unnoticed."

He was right that they would get into the castle easily and unnoticed. The tunnel was relatively clean, but it was still dark. The light of Takumi's fire cast flickering shadows on the stone walls. It was enough to make her blood curl. Once she had paused to lace up her boots more tightly, only to look up and see Takumi and his light vanishing.

The tunnel was quieter than she thought it was. Somewhere in the tunnel, water dripped down, the sound echoing off the walls. Could there be ghosts in the tunnels? Wasn't there a saying where old castles always had a ghost or two? Suddenly a chill ran down Misaki's back.

"Eek! Wait up!" Misaki scrambled to catch up, just in time to ram into Takumi as he turned back around a corner of the tunnel to look for her. Takumi steadied her before she fell.

"Misaki…" Takumi said. "Don't tell me you're afraid of things like the dark and ghosts…."

"Shut. Up." Misaki seethed, brushing off his support. From the light of the fire ball he was holding, she could clearly see Takumi's look of amusement. "Mention this to anyone and I'll flay you alive. Let's just go."

Thankfully they didn't have much distance to cover. Takumi stopped underneath what appeared to be a wooden trapdoor in the ceiling. Using his wind powers, Takumi blasted the door open and whatever heavy object lying on top of the door made a thud as it crashed onto the ground.

"Woops. Hope I didn't break the throne," Takumi muttered. Misaki gave him a look, but he appeared to be absolutely serious.

Takumi flew up first then turned to lend her hand, but she had already flown up after him.

The throne room looked like a mess, with shattered pieces of pottery and slashed paintings on the ground. Quite a few burn marks were on the lush red carpet that rolled across the middle of the room, leading up to where she supposed where the throne would be had not Takumi blasted the throne off the trapdoor. Misaki detected a few blood stains, but there were no bodies as Takumi had warned her that there might be.

All senses on alert in case any intruders were alert, they quietly made their way to Gerard's study. The castle was a mess, the hallways littered with broken vases and other knickknacks.

There was no need to pick the lock to the door of the study, for the door had been busted wide open. Papers were scattered on the floor. It seemed that the intruders had searched the castle carefully for the jewel.

Takumi stepped over Gerard's fallen desk and inspected the two empty suits of armor that guarded the fireplace located at the back corners of the room. Both held spears. The one on the right held a shield but the one on the left held nothing in its empty hand. Takumi placed the ornate sword in the knight's hand.

Both tensed, but nothing happened.

"Maybe it was just a weapon? Or they're trying to tell us to search the study?" Takumi wondered after a pause.

Misaki felt the tiniest draft of wind ruffle her hair. She turned around to search for the source. "The fireplace?"

There was just a pile of ashes in the fireplace, so it was an easy matter for Takumi to bend down and crawl into the hearth. Several moments later, he climbed out carrying a small and plain wooden box.

"Achoo!" He sneezed. "It's all full of ashes."

Misaki straightened up Gerald's fallen desk. Takumi placed the box on the table and opened it. Lying in there were neat stacks of papers.

Misaki picked a stack up and rifled through it. "They're all talking about the jewel."

"These are all the notes of the magicians that came to the castle to try to extract the jewel. Lists and lists of what they tried to do. I guess Gerard was trying to find the best process of removing the jewel. You know what else this means?" His green eyes were alight with excitement.

She grinned back. "Yes, we can also track down which magician's been a little power hungry or has a loose tongue lately. If we do it quietly and fast enough, I suppose I don't have to report-"

 _Boom!_

The castle shook, and Takumi had to grab onto the nearest thing for support, which happened to be Misaki's shoulder.

"Ow!"

"Sorry."

"An earthquake?" She wondered.

Takumi glanced out the window. Gerard's study had a perfect view of the front courtyard and of the town, allowing him a clear view of whoever came to visit the castle. "More like unwelcome visitors. The intruders are here again."

* * *

A/N: Alrighty, let's get the drama and romance onto the road! I hope I'm not moving the story too slow c: Review what you liked and see ya'll next time!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I own nothing of the Maid-Sama series. Enjoy!

* * *

Takumi shoved the papers in his bag, deciding to worry about paper crumbling later.

"Should we go back through the throne room way?" Misaki wondered. Her dagger was already out, ready to fight in an instant.

Takumi listened for the sounds of people breaking into the castle. "No, the throne room is too close to them and too far for us to get there on time. I have an idea. Follow me."

Within a minute, they were in his room. Takumi grabbed some clothing from his closet. "A few more supplies," he explained to Misaki. "I'm going to grab a map as well."

Misaki inspected his room carefully. "Do you have a secret passage in your room as well? Is that how we're going to get out?"

"Um, sort of." Takumi crossed over to one of his large windows. He could see no one was in the courtyard down below. "I was thinking of a different route." The window was easy to open with a flick of the wrist.

"Are you kidding me? Out the window? How high up are we?" Misaki peered cautiously over the edge, trying to judge the distance.

"Eh, it's only about five floors up. Now, let's go!"

"Wait, hold on-"

With a scoop of his arms, Misaki was tucked safely in his embrace as he threw themselves out the window. The winds gathered around them, buoying the two up over the courtyard.

"Oh my...I will _kill_ you for this!" The rest of her words were lost to the wind, although he was sure there were several curse words about him. She clutched wildly at his shirt, determined not to fall. Takumi felt another boost of wind as Misaki concentrated on adding her own powers to his.

Despite the intense fury he could feel burning underneath her skin, Takumi felt elated, though he wasn't too excited for when she exacted her anger out on him. For once, he not only had a major lead to finding out what had happened, he was also feeling the full realization of the unexpected freedom he was experiencing. No more being shuttled in the dark to relative's home to relative's home, or having to disguise his boredom at being shut up in a castle. He could have adventure, and best of all, he wouldn't be doing it all alone. Or at least until Misaki either left him to fulfill her Rose duties or left him because he made her furious too much, judging by the squirming of her body underneath his arm.

Together, the two had just enough combined magic before their endurance ran out to send the them to the furthest corner of the courtyard, out of the sight should any attacker from the castle happen to glance out the window. Misaki hopped out of his arms the moment their feet touched the ground, glaring at Takumi with intense frustration.

"Ow!" Takumi rubbed his arm where she had smacked him hard. "Okay, I deserved that. I wasn't sure if we would be able to make out of the castle another way and not be seen. So I apologize."

She snorted. "Just don't do something like that again without giving me enough time to prepare." She took a deep breath and waited for her breath to settle down. Misaki glanced around at their location. "Should we head back to town?" She wondered. Their flight in the air had caused some of her hair to escape the confines of her customary ponytail, and she hastily brushed them out of her eyes.

"No, it's too dangerous. I don't want the townspeople to get hurt."

Nodding with approval, she looked back at the castle with a watchful eye. "Then who's the closest magician near us? You look, I'll keep an eye out."

Takumi took the papers out and rifled through them quickly. "The majority of the magicians are based in the Imperial Palace. I suppose the Emperor's side could take care of those magicians. Ah, the closest magician is out in the countryside, just across the border of the province here. A Sakurai Kurosaki?"

Misaki's eyebrows shot up. "Ah, Kurosaki-san?"

"You know him?"

"Yups, my childhood friend, Shintani Hinata, is an apprentice of his. I heard that he's been working for the Emperor. I know where he is."

"Ah, I think remember this childhood friend of yours, Sanshita-kun. He came with Kurosaki-san to the castle."

"That's not Shintani's name."

"It's his name to me. I don't know what magic he was using on me to try to get the jewel out, but whatever potions he made from his strange vegetables gave me stomachache for days."

"Sounds like Shintani. Well, I don't think Kurosaki-san is the one we're looking for, but we should make sure. Let's go."

* * *

Misaki frowned at the clear skies as they walked. They seemed so innocent, with the puffy white clouds pillowing over the land like fluffy sheep grazing on blue atmosphere.

"Why are you mad at the sky?" Takumi asked. He looked up at the sky as well, finding nothing really out of place. "You'll get wrinkles prematurely if you do that."

Misaki made a face at him. "Actually, I'm thinking of how it's going to rain tonight."

"Really?" He looked up at the sky again. "It looks pretty clear to me. Are you using some sort of magic to tell?"

"Water magic. I can sense the pressure drop too."

"Woah, so fluffy." Misaki looked to see Takumi bending down to pat a passing barn cat. The cat arched its back and hissed threateningly. Miskai suppressed a smile at his obviously disappointed look. His expression made him look younger, almost as if he had a childish innocence. "They never let me pet them."

"You've never been able to pet a cat?" They watched as the cat strode off, slinking its way through the grassy farmland on the left side of the road.

"Animals in general actually don't like me very much. Not that I get to meet many animals."

"Were you inside all the time?"

Takumi shrugged, his eyes with a faraway look to them. That childish innocence Misaki had noticed in him vanished. "Yeah. I guess so." He brushed himself off then stood up. "Well, shall we head on?"

As they walked, Takumi pestered Misaki with questions about her life. She glossed over her training as a Rose, as it was supposed to be a secret, but it didn't seem like he was that interested in Roses unless it had to do something with Bloody Rose. Takumi seemed more interested in her middle class childhood. She supposed that it made sense that he was interested in knowing a life outside of the gilded cage he was born in. One thing she was grateful for was that he didn't pressure her to explain more about her father's absence in her life.

"You don't seem to like men too much," Takumi observed.

"That's because they do things that girls don't like." He merely raised an eyebrow at her. "I guess it's because I've only been around females so much of my life that…I don't know. I guess I don't know how to interact with them very much?"

"You're talking with me." He pointed out.

"That's only because I'm working with you on a mission."

"And Sanshita-kun?"

"I don't see him as a man."

Takumi winced. "Suddenly I feel rather sorry for him..." He muttered.

"Hmm, what was that? He's a childhood friend that I used to take care of before my father-. Never mind. My point is colleagues are fine. Beyond that? I don't know how to interact further than that."

"Hmm," was his only reply.

The skies had been steadily darkening with gray clouds as they walked. Misaki's prediction was right as the clouds opened up their reservoirs and rain began coming down in hard sheets. Misaki easily summoned her water magic and prepared to form a rain barrier that provided an inch of air all around her skin. She supposed Takumi did the same with a wind barrier since he didn't bother pulling out a waterproof cloak or put up his hood.

There was just one problem though. Somehow the water permeated right through their barriers. Quickly they ducked under a tree.

"What is up with this rain?" Misaki gathered her wet ponytail in her hands and rinsed her hair of the water. The rain was coming down harder than ever, so much that even under the tree they were being soaked constantly to the skin. "Achoo!"

"Magic?" Takumi ventured. His blond hair was plastered to his face, and he brushed it impatiently up and over his forehead.

 _Magic?_ Misaki thought. She stuck out her hand and within seconds caught a small pool of water in the palm of her hand. The water looked like regular rain and smelled like it too. She couldn't detect any poison at all. Yet, the water gleaned almost with a mirror-like quality. "Seer magic?" Seer magic was often related to water magic for water's clarity and purity. Seer magic was difficult to wield, and only a few select members were taught. All Roses were trained in seer magic, but only Shizuko, the Blue Rose, had the true ability, and even then it was hard for Shizuko to use.

She summoned a small burst of fire magic but nothing happened to the water. A much larger fire ball was summoned and the water in her hands slowly evaporated, leaving a small pool of energy she recognized as a small remnant of a seer spell in her hands. Whoever cast the magic rain was indeed searching for someone.

"You think this relates to us?" Takumi inspected the small energy suspiciously.

Misaki frowned. "Seer magic is only used to catch high profile criminals. It's possible that this doesn't relate to us at all. But if the magician we're looking for knows seer magic or is in league with someone who does, then that narrows the field down considerably. Kurosaki-san should be able to give us a list of magicians who are seers as well. Regardless, the rain should let up soon in less than an hour or so. Seer magic is difficult to perform for a long time."

"Achoo!" This time it was Takumi who sneezed. "We'll still be soaked through then. I don't think we can constantly use fire magic to repel the rain." He rummaged in his sack and pulled out an unassuming brown cloak. "Here."

"What is that-"

Her voice was muffled as the heavy material was thrown over her head. She poked her head through an opening through the material. Takumi had thrown the cloak over the both of them like a blanket.

"It repels seer magic," he explained.

Misaki glared at him. "You didn't steal this, did you?"

"Wow, I am hurt." He mimed a dramatic hurt expression on his face. "I was told it was my mother's. She used it often to sneak out of the castle without anyone detecting her. I guess this cloak was how she met my father."

"Sure, but who knew seer magic in your family?"

"My granduncle did apparently."

"Granduncle...then that means the Emperor?"

"I guess so. Unless there's a third brother I've never heard about. Anyways, shall we go? We'll both catch cold if we stand under the tree like this."

Unfortunately, Takumi's tall height combined with the cloak's obvious fit made for a smaller person like Takumi's mother's frame did not serve to cover the two extremely well. Although the cloak covered their heads, their lower bodies were still soaked and thus still in contact with seer magic.

"How about we try this?" Takumi refrained from demonstrating what his idea was, for which Misaki was grateful for, especially hearing his next words. "I can carry you on piggyback and we can wear the cloak over us that way."

"No." She flat out refused.

"Why not? I'm pretty strong. Besides the seer magic is still seeping through our clothes. We'll still be tracked wherever we go. It's the most practical solution." He could see that the gears were turning in her head as she thought out the logic of his idea. "I mean, unless you want to give me the piggy back ride. Or carry _me_ princess-style."

"If I carried you, I'd immediately drop you in the mud head-first."

"So cruel…."

"Shut up and bend down so I can get on your back."

If anyone had been looking at them a minute later, they would see an oddly tall figure with a hunchback appearance wearing a brown blanket-like cloth that barely covered the figure. A closer look would reveal two faces popping out of the cloth, the handsome blond with his hair being pulled by the dark haired girl.

"Ow. I'm going to be bald if you keep that up."

"Sorry, it's hard to not fall off and keep the cloak on at the same time."

"That's also because you're leaning away from me. It's okay to touch me, you know. I did attempt to take a bath while I was out on the run. And the rain earlier sort of washed me off." Takumi joked.

"Pfft." Misaki snorted. It was indeed a bit awkward to be on his back, and she worried whether his strength would give out before the rain dispersed or they could find some shelter. But he didn't smell too bad, in fact he smelled of a nice piney aroma mixed with clean soap. Takumi certainly didn't smell over-perfumed like some of the male nobles she had encountered or like some people who preferred their bodies unwashed. "We'll stop and break for the night at the edge of the border then. I think we can make it."

But unexpectedly, the rain didn't let up within the expected time. Misaki frowned and whipped the cloak tighter around Takumi and her as the wind picked up while the rain poured its steady tears. The skies had already darkened.

"This is some strong seer magic." Takumi commented. "Either they still haven't caught the criminal they're looking for or…"

"Or the person they're looking for did something to obstruct their magic and they're still trying to look for the person." She couldn't see Takumi's expression, but she felt his muscles tense.

"They're looking for us then."

"Possibly. But we don't know if it's an ally or an enemy."

Takumi shook his head, nearly causing the cloak to slip off. "No one else in my family besides my granduncle knows seer magic. Enemy it is then. Makes sense that wherever I was hiding, they always seemed to know where I was."

"That's some powerful and dangerous person after you then. Oooh, wait, let's stop right there!" Misaki carefully pointed to a hollow of trees off to their left. "I think it's about nighttime. The way across the border is through some cliffs so it would be dangerous to attempt at night. We'll travel again tomorrow morning."

Takumi obliged. "But why trees? Would it be better to find a cave or some sort of rocky outcrop?"

"Nah. Watch."

Takumi had stopped them in the middle of the trees where they were densest. Misaki sought out the trees' spirits and thought of the warmth of sunshine and growth. The trees felt the magic she was offering and absorbed it eagerly. Under Misaki's coaching, the branches overhead grew denser and denser, their foliage covering the branches until not a single ray of waning light from the sunset could be seen.

Takumi whistled in appreciation. A small dome structure was now up and over them. Roots grew underneath, covering the wet and muddy ground with a floor completely made out of roots with just a small muddy hole that could be used as a fireplace. The roof formed by branches and leaves was completely water tight. Now they were standing in the middle of a small room, just cozy enough for two people. Shelter formation done, Misaki was gently let down onto the floor.

"Woah!" Takumi steadied Misaki, who stumbled the moment her feet touched the ground. "You alright?"

"Oooph, yeah...I don't normally use a lot of earth magic at once to build a shelter unless I need to. I'll get my breath back in a moment."

"You sure?"

Misaki blinked her eyes, still slightly dizzy. Takumi came into focus as she looked up, her breath hitching. His handsome face was just a few inches away as his concerned emerald eyes inspected her carefully. She could see every inch of his flawless skin. Embarrassed, she stepped back, turning her red face away before he could see. "Um y-yeah. How's your back?"

He stretched easily. "All good. You've been hiding some cool powers up your sleeve."

"Er...it's nothing." Misaki took a few breaths to calm herself down. _What the hell is wrong with me?_ She thought. _Get yourself together!_

* * *

A/N: Hope everyone's having a great weekend! Everyone's having such delightful predictions about what will be in the future~ As to whether they're true or not...teehee we'll just have to wait and see. Also where can we find Usui Takumi in real life? Like seriously, k-pop idols are my closest match right now.

Until next time, my lovelies!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N:

A/N: I own nothing of the Maid-Sama series. Enjoy!

* * *

He sat in the shadows, allowing the darkness to cloak his expressions. It was hardly enough to disguise the displeasure he was clearly emanating. His seer magic dwindled in the crystal bowl. Useless, it was. Somehow the bastard and his prize had gotten away from him. All it left him was an empty magic supply and an irritating ache that pounded at his head. And he had other duties to attend to.

Him, of all the powerful magicians in the Empire. Those lowly peers shouldn't even compare to who he was, with those simpering gazes and meaningless compliments to gain his favor. But no matter.

No matter. This was only a small obstacle. He would have them playing in his hands eventually.

And yes, by all means, he would have his prize soon enough before him. And when she knew who he really was, she would be begging to stay by his side.

* * *

Within moments, the pair shrugged off their wet outer clothing. "Ah, shoot. My pack is all wet." Misaki grumbled. The pack was supposed to be waterproof, but she supposed the seer magic had been able to permeate through anyways. She sought the clothing that was buried in the middle of the pack and was still reasonably dry and hurriedly pulled the coat over her head.

Within moments, the pair had eaten and dressed as dry as they could, spreading their wet belongings to dry by the fire. Takumi carefully took out the papers they had brought which thankfully were not too damaged by the rain. "Aaaacho!" He sneezed, the force causing him to drop the papers.

Misaki hastily used her wind powers to bat away one paper that ventured too close to the fire. She rummaged in her pack and pulled out her sack of herbs. Within moments, she had concocted a brown mossy ball. "Here."

Takumi narrowed his eyes at the ball and then at her. "Is this the time where you're trying to poison me and reveal that you're actually part of the attackers?" He joked.

Misaki rolled her eyes and then popped the ball in her mouth. She grimaced at the bitter taste as the slimy thing slipped down her throat. "It's medicine to help prepare your immune system to fight off colds. Funny how we've made all kinds of medicine to cure diseases but there's no cure for colds yet. Here, I'll make you another one."

He shook his head stubbornly. "I'm not convinced. You're the Yellow Rose so you're immune to all poisons."

"Just eat it already. I don't wanna deal with a sick person on a mission."

With a flick of wind magic, the medicine ball flew into Takumi's mouth the moment he opened to speak. Sputtering as the bitter taste overwhelmed his mouth, Takumi choked the medicine down. Takumi pouted as he swished down the bitter taste of the herbs with water from his water skin. "So cruel. Isn't there a way to make the medicine taste better?"

Misaki shrugged. "With honey or sugar. None of which I brought because they would have taken too much space in my bag. Don't tell me that you're not scared of a group of bloodthirsty men out for your head but you are scared of a little bitter medicine?"

"I'm more scared that you'll poison me and I'll never see it coming."

Misaki snorted. "Okay, you big wuss. Whatever you say." She rummaged through her two blankets, looking for the driest one. Unfortunately, both were still too wet for her liking. She had once tried to dry her blankets using her fire magic on a previous mission but ended up burning her blankets to scraps of ash. She was hesitant to try it this time. "Since we have an early day tomorrow, I'm going to sleep. If you attack me again in my sleep…." She shook her poisoned dagger at him threateningly.

"If accidentally sleeping on your shoulder means attacking to you…" Takumi shook his head. "Okay, good night."

Misaki muttered good night back, before lying down on the ground. Immediately the ground sprouted a soft bed of grass, softening the hardness of the roots below her. Her eyes were closed, but all senses were still on alert. Takumi was still on the other side of the fire, rustling through his pack as another patch of grass grew near him. Her nerves calmed down a bit.

Last night she had sunk into slumber easily, as Takumi had been so tired that he had passed out first. She always preferred sleeping last, either allowing her comrades to sleep first while she kept watch or just not trusting strange companions in general. With Takumi, she wasn't sure which category he fell into.

An unexpected blush grew on her cheeks as she recalled how close his face was to her earlier. Biting the inside of her cheeks in frustration, she tried to clamp down her flush. She groaned inwardly, wishing her blankets had dried enough so she could hide her head under the comfort of the cloth. Not to mention she could still hear the faint sounds of howling wind and pounding rain on the roof of the structure. Even through the layers of branches and roots and leaves, the chill of the autumn night air permeated through the walls. The small fire did little to warm the air up, and if they made the fire any bigger, all the oxygen would be consumed much faster than their tree shelter could produce. She almost wished she was a seal, with a nice layer of blubber to keep her lean frame warm. Try as she might though, Misaki resigned herself to not getting any warmth at all.

"Hey Misaki…promise me you're not going to force another herb gunk down my throat after you hear my suggestion about this cold." Takumi's voice broke through her cold thoughts.

"Hmm, what is it?" Misaki answered groggily. Her fingers were so numb. She was lucky enough if her toes didn't get frostbite after that rain had soaked through her boots and socks.

"Body heat…," murmured Takumi. He at least had the decency to blush slightly at Misaki's mortified glare. "Just a thought. All my supplies are soaked through."

She sighed, dropping her glare as she closed her eyes again. Looking at their situation, he was right with all their supplies soaked. The autumn weather in the Empire was cold to the bone, a signal that the harsh winter storms were coming soon. It would be hard for her to summon her earth magic as the days got closer. "Fine." Takumi's eyebrows raised in surprise. "I just don't want to freeze to death. But if you get any ideas…"

Takumi put one palm over his heart. "I promise you can poison or paralyze me freely."

"Shush, you. Also you're moving to here, I'm too lazy to get up."

Misaki closed her eyes as she felt Takumi's shadow fall over her and then his weight sink down on her grassy patch. Her front was still facing and being warmed by the fire. Cautiously, Takumi gently pressed his backside to her backside. She let her mind go blank, pretending that she was just putting her back to a warm mattress or some warm bread. Yes, that was it. Pretend he was just a nice loaf of warm bread. Mmm, bread so light and fluffy that she wanted to sink her hands in….

"Um, actually could I put my hand...?"

Her body automatically stiffened when Takumi switched positions so his chest was against her backside. The new position was definitely warmer. A long arm moved over her waist, only light brushing against her waist. Takumi remained gentlemanly though, his hand never straying to her body. He was so close that she could feel his breath ruffle the hairs on top of her head and the beating of his steady heart. No male had ever been this close to her except for Shintani, whom she often had to curb his excessive displays of affection for her.

Within a few moments, she felt his heartbeat slow, signaling that Takumi had fallen asleep. Only then did she allow herself to relax in his embrace. For Takumi to fall asleep so quickly probably meant that he was exhausted from the day's adventure or that he trusted her wholly. A trusting fool, Misaki thought. But she preferred those to cunning snakes.

Careful not to disturb him, she adjusted her body until her back was pressed more closely to his chest to grab some more warmth. Despite the wind howling outside, Misaki quickly fell asleep.

* * *

Takumi woke up from the squirming of the body he was currently hugging. Blinking his eyes sleepily, he slowly took in his surroundings. The fire had burned to just a few glowing embers, enough to light the small room of branches they were in. The faint sounds of birds chirping let him know that it was morning. Better yet was the absence of rain sounds.

The soft body in his arms moved again, catching his attention.

He carefully extracted his arm from around Misaki but paused. Pretty, was the word that came to his mind again. Dark hair was displayed around her head like a halo. Facing away from him, she was still sleeping judging from her side profile, a small frown marring her otherwise calm features. A strand of hair had fallen onto her nose, the cause of her unconscious squirming to move the tickling hair off of her nose. She must have been still cold, since her legs were curled up to a fetal position. But the main reason Takumi had stopped from removing himself was that Misaki was clutching his hand, holding his arm against her body in an effort to leech more warmth from his body heat.

Takumi bit back a chuckle as his imagination conjured up an image of how red Misaki's face would be when she discovered that she was the one who "attacked" him despite her warnings to him. Then he paused, thinking that it was more likely that she would actually take the hand in her grip and throw him through the branch walls if she woke up right at that moment. With that thought in mind, he proceeded to gently pull himself away from her grip. Somehow, he missed the warmth.

By the time Misaki woke up, he had already built up the fire, the flames heating up the chilly morning air.

"Morning," he called out. He pressed the bread he had been toasting into her palm. "Sleep well?"

"Thanks," she mumbled, still groggy. "I slept fine."

They munched their toast together in silence. Misaki's dark hair fell over her face, but Takumi could see the blush that peeked through her hair now and then. Neither of them talked about what happened the night before.

Before long, they were ready to go. Takumi watched in half-admiration and half-amazement as Misaki caused the tree-structure to fold in on itself. Within moments, nothing existed in the tree clearing to indicate that a structure had ever been there. He glanced cautiously at Misaki for fear that she would faint again, but the night's rest seemed to have done her good.

She turned to him, her face calm after the exertion. "Well, shall we go?"

Last night's rain storm had turned the winding dirt path into an essentially long mud puddle. Coupled with the chilly weather, some parts of the road had become icy. Luckily, most of their clothing had dried out, though quite wrinkly. Takumi wrapped his fur lined cloak tighter around his body as Misaki slipped on some leather gloves.

They had woken up at dawn, but the sun was just barely fully up when the two arrived at the border. Takumi whistled as he took in the sight before him. "When you mentioned some cliffs, this wasn't exactly what I was imagining."

Before them was a huge canyon so wide that he couldn't see the other side. Just a few feet up ahead, the path continued all the way to the end until the ground dropped sharply in a precipice. A faded wooden sign warned travelers of the dangerous cliff. Even more astounding was the tall columns of reddish-brown stone that were scattered in the canyon. They were all of varying heights, some even taller than the canyon. If one had thought to merely fly over the canyon, that person would find themselves in the predicament of having to dodge the formidable stone structures and arches that blocked the away across the canyon. Even worse was that clouds of gray fog covered the canyon, obscuring the sight of stone columns that appeared until it was too late and one crashed into it. Yes, Takumi could see why Misaki preferred to cross the canyon during the day.

"There's a bridge about ten miles down south of here that most people cross. It would be better to cross here though and not waste time." Misaki said.

Takumi carefully walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down. He regretted his decision immediately. The canyon was deeper than he expected, with a swift river gushing through the bottom of the canyon. But the river was so far down, it looked like a dark blue ribbon lacing its way unhindered by the stone columns. He felt slightly dizzy and took a step back. Although he was sure he could easily support himself with his wind powers should he slip and fall, he preferred not to find himself a victim of gravity in the first place. "It'll be some adventure for sure. I've never seen anything like this."

"Legend says two masters of earth magic had a dispute over their love for a female water magician a long time ago, even before the Empire was established. The earth columns are left from their battlefield. In the end, both passed away from too much magic exertion. The woman was saddened by the loss of her lover and used her powers to create a river that flows through the stone structures before passing away herself from draining all her magic too dangerously. Now and then a stone structure will fall down since the columns are so ancient. People say that the sound of the structures falling sound like the two earth masters using their earth magic to heave stones at each other. And when the wind blows through the canyon, they swear that the wind sounds like the woman wailing for her love who died defending their relationship." Misaki explained.

"That's a haunting story. Crossing sounds even more dangerous now."

"Yes. But that just means it'll be harder for your stalkers to follow us. Besides, this river is the main water source for a lot of the villages down south. They call it Lovers' Gorge and claim its waters bring good omens of everlasting love and fortune."

Takumi shook his head. "People sure do crazy things for love."

"Yes, even fight to the death when the person they love loves someone else. On that wonderful note, shall we cross?" Misaki took a step from the safety of the canyon's edge and jumped.

* * *

A/N: Once again very interesting theories from the reviews, definitely loved reading all of your thoughts. Yes, indeed, the mysterious person in the shadows is very creepy, especially for wanting Misaki as his future bride by calling her a "vessel". Leave a review and see ya'll next time, my lovelies!


End file.
